One of the best things about eating out in Gozo is the service. Generally it’s friendly (if they know you, it’s first name basis pretty quickly), most times it’s quick and it certainly isn’t ITS’ (Malta’s Institute of Tourism Studies ‘cum chef school’) cookie-cutter. In fact, it’s often enough quirky, which adds to the enjoyment, unless you’re some up-tight nuevo-yuppy who thinks he’s worthy of silver service and has this need to send back the first couple of bottles because they’re, you know, not quite the thing.

Hey, fool, if it’s got alcohol in it and it ain’t corked, you don’t get to send it back: next time, choose something you like.

So, where to go when you’re up North and peckish? Time for a coffee or lunch: where do I point the wheels?

You want somewhere smart? OK, if you must, you must, though this is Gozo after all, so chill an’all that, so there’s Tmun, Victoria and Ta’ Frenc for smart dining, right up there amongst the best. Me? I tend towards the more casual end of the spectrum, so close to home, there’s Oleander in Xaghra Square – a leisurely Sunday lunch on one of the outside tables; if the weather’s friendly, it’s as close to bliss as you can get legally.

Don’t jump down my throat, but you can also have fun in Marsalforn, the Bugibba-in-the-North disadvantages notwithstanding. Il-Pulena, in the Menqa, serves up seriously good pizza and other basic stuff, and as far as I’m concerned, a weekday lunch in early spring is the best reason for playing hooky from the real world.

Just back along the harbour-front, towards what must be the least busy Police Station in the country (in winter, anyway) is the Calypso Hotel, where you get a good coffee and can relax a morning while the missus is off getting her hair done or whatever it is people do on a Saturday morning. Alternatively, there’s it-Tokk, in Rabat, with something like six coffee shops intemingling, amongst them the original Jubilee, and the Central, where the Marocchino is luxurious.

After your siesta, which is de rigeur, you’ll need a coffee to clear the cobwebs and, a bit later (you don’t want anyone thinking you’re too fond of a drop) a g&t or something on those lines, to set you up for the evening. Here’s where somewhere like Xlendi comes into the picture – if you can bag a table at the edge, where the beach wall serves as an excellent foot-rest, you’re chilling with the best of them. When you get hungry, walk (yes, walk) to La Terrazza, where “location, location, location” isn’t used to detract from the obligation to provide excellent pizza (you’ve noticed I like pizza?)

It’s the dinner hour, so off you go: Tatita’s in San Lawrenz or Tmun, down the other end of the island in Mgarr (yes, there are two Tmuns) will hit the spot, as will Wileg in Qala or Maji in Rabat.

So there you go, a few places to satisfy the inner man – they’re not the only ones available in Gozo, by a long shot and I’ve probably left a few out.

Malta’s aspiring artists and photographers are getting good at sniffing out new venues in which to exhibit their work. There aren’t that many galleries around hosting contemporary artists (St James Cavalier, the Museum of Fine Arts, and No. 68 do a lot to help, and there are few other private ones around…). Many up and coming artists are turning to the more pioneering of Malta’s cafes to seek exhibition venues. Cafes in return use their walls to support the arts, give themselves a more art-house feel and make their environments all the more welcoming for their patrons.

Exhibition Venue
A new cafe on the block – New Zealand-style cafe ‘Mint’, in Sliema – is aligning itself quickly with deserving creatives. This weekend sees its walls hosting a small, but eclectic collection of photography by Anne Muscat-Scerri and Amanda Holmes.

About the Exhibition
Anne and Amanda usually concentrate on family and child photography, so this display marks a departure for them – in fact there’s not a person in sight. “The last time we put our photos on show, we were newcomers to the scene. So it made sense for us to exhibit pictures of children – the subject matter we feel most comfortable with,” says Amanda. Both women are mothers to families of three young girls and mostly find themselves pointing the lens at their offspring. “This time though we realised it would be a good challenge to display completely different subjects that enable us to explore different styles from the whimsical to semi-abstract.

“Photography is a great medium for capturing the beauty and capriciousness of everyday life. For this collection, our aim was to reflect our immediate surroundings in a surprising way, questioning our view of the supposedly mundane. All the pictures have been taken in Malta, some of very typical subjects, yet the photos are anything but typically Maltese,” explains Amanda.

So at Mint you’ll find for example a boat picture, that’s not the typical image of a brightly-painted luzzu, but that captures a detail of a hull with muted colours and many repairs, testifying to the harsh conditions boats and their crews encounter. The two photographers wanted to show pictures of objects and scenes that people would chance upon in their daily life, but they’ve taken the shots in a way that could surprise and perhaps make us re-evaluate our environment.

Cafe opening times
Exhibition runs from 5 Dec – early February 2010.
Mint: 30/39 Luzio Junction/Stella Maris Street. Open Tues-Sat 09.30-19.00; Sun 10.30-19.00.
www.mintmalta.com
For more info, contact: Amanda or Anne and see also: cloudberryimages.com.

Photo: Anne Muscat Scerri.

Ask long-time Malta residents about kiosks and the chances are they will reminisce about their childhood and fondly remember hot summer evenings doing the routine ‘passeggiata’ (a stroll taking in the cool air of evening) on the Sliema front. In the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s, a pit stop at a kiosk would have been a highlight for kids, as, with luck, they’d manage to persuade parents to buy them an orzata or an ice cream. Old photos of Sliema and Balutta seafronts show kiosks in their glory days.

The kiosk became a hot topic a few months ago when the famed ‘Magic Kiosk’ magically disappeared almost overnight! The Magic Kiosk began life in the seventies in modest size, but grew to fill nearly all St Anne Square, Sliema. But since it had only temporary rights of residence – which expired in 2008 – it was demolished by the authorities and the square returned to landscaped glory, with seating and a fountain, as a much-needed lung in this busy urban area.

True old-style kiosks (not the Magic Kiosk, which was a 70s’ restaurant) are somewhat fewer and farther between. You’ll still find some open for business – Upper Barrakka Gardens, Valletta; the square in Balutta; and this one above (which is larger than the truly old-style ones) outside Lower Barrakka Gardens, also Valletta. Until a couple of years ago, a tiny round one was still open, nestling under the arches at the back of Republic Square, Valletta. Now its shutters are tightly down, but it used to have queues of kids waiting for orzata on a hot summer’s day.

In Valletta, you’ll see another on Republic Street with the junction of St John’s Street – it sells flowers, but is well preserved and fine example of what the Maltese kiosk in its heyday would have been.

Instead of the quaint kiosk, the temporary motor van with flip-up serving hatch has mushroomed (and not just at festas) serving fried food as well as obligatory ices, beers, sweets, cakes and coffees. The Sliema-Gzira seafront and the Qawra-Bugibba coast has a lot of these motorvan hawkers around. They do serve a purpose, and are as convenient as their convenience food suggests.

But patronise the older kiosks, and you are likely to find yourself in a picturesque spot, enjoying a moment off from the street’s bustle. Also, if you know of some gems of old-style kiosks, please comment so we can build a list of them all – before they vanish.

Book Café campaign (Kampanja Ktieb Kafè)
This is such a great idea: dig out your old, yellowing, paperbacks – classics, romantic novels, histories, biographies or whatever – that have not been touched since a holiday years ago, donate them to the National Library in Floriana, and see them distributed to be rehoused on book shelves in Malta’s cafes, all ready for new readers.

A wonderfully simple way to give a lot to so many: participating cafes gain an edge, probably more business, and an atmosphere while we get free reading material and something to do over a coffee other than fiddle with a mobile device. Even if you’re downing a quick nip of espresso at the counter, you can still pick up a book. Because the book cafe scheme lets you take a book home and away to read. Just pop it back to any participating cafe at a later date.

How did Book Café Malta start?
The scheme seems like something that should have happened long ago. Malta, and Valletta in particular, has developed a real cafe culture that now rivals any in continental Europe. In fact, the catalyst for the initiative comes from France, and one woman’s campaign to promote among a more widespread culture of enjoying books among the Maltese.

Nadia Mifsud Mutschler, a Maltese national who has been living near Lyon for the past 12 years, is the driving force for the scheme here. A similar scheme operates near her in France, but using letterbox-style drop off points. She was over here earlier this year for April’s book week, and suggested the idea to various entities like the National Book Council. The idea gained hold, and the scheme is now in soft-launch stage as books are donated and cafés signed up. So far around 70 books have been collected for the scheme in Valletta and more than 200 for Marsaskala (Nadia’s original home town).

The aims?
Nadia says the campaign’s main aim is to promote reading by making books available to the general public in places where people hardly expect to find books: “Hopefully, this campaign will give the opportunity to people to simply grab a book and wind down in a pleasant setting. However, the campaign is not intended to cater for some kind of highbrow elite. We want everyone to be able to benefit from it.”

Reading for pleasure, and reading young
Another reason spurring Nadia into action is what she sees in Malta as the association of ‘reading’ with ’studying’ and not reading with pleasure. “Many teenagers I know seem to associate reading with studying and exams. I know children who are only six yet are obliged to keep a ‘reading diary’ throughout the scholastic year, only to put it away with their school stuff when summer taps at the door. They then don’t pick up a single book for three months unless forced to.”

In France, Nadia has seen the enlightened way that libraries encourage children, even babies, to engage with books. “Story-telling sessions are held in public libraries every week for infants aged six months and over. In each short session, children are transported into a completely different world. At weekends, children go to their local library with their parents as if it were a family outing. They perceive books as being a natural part of their environment. Moreover, they perceive reading as a fun activity.”

Book Café aims also to make books available to those children whose parents cannot afford to buy books or who simply don’t like libraries.

The Book Cafés’ future?
Nadia sees the overall scheme as a first step to other projects such as literary nights (a kind of book club meeting in cafes), workshops in creative writing for young people and, most importantly, story-telling sessions for infants and children. The hope is that the book café idea will roll out in other localities, like Mdina, Vittoriosa and Sliema.

Will people simply nick the books?
Nadia says she’s asked that all the time, but since the idea has worked well in cities such as London, Paris and Lyon, with people not only returning but also adding books themselves, she says there’s no reason why the Maltese can’t respond to it in the same way, and make it a success.

How to donate, participate & help We can do our bit to help it along by dropping off our unwanted books (in English or Maltese) at the Customer Care Section of the Public Library in Floriana (Belt is-Sebh). Attach a note with your name, surname and the titles of the books (for inventory purposes) and address it to Kampanja Ktieb Kafè c/o Sergio Grech. Opening hours Monday – Friday: 8.30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Further info and to offer help: contact Nadia at: ktiebkafe@yahoo.com

Cafés participating so far:
Chiaroscuro (Valletta)
Inspirations (St. James Cavalier, Valletta)
Ta’ Grabiel (Marsaskala)

Also of interest – The Malta Book Fair, 2009
The 25th edition of the Malta Book Fair, organised by the National Book Council and the Libraries Department of the Ministry of Education takes place 11 – 15 November at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, Valletta. Details, see: www.ktieb.org.mt.

Useful info on all things to do with Malta Libraries on the Malta Library and Information Association (MaLIA) website.

Photo: Tom

Ever since Facebook became a part of our lives, it has become our primary source of reference to what to do on a Friday or Saturday night out. This, along with copious SMS adverts, radio spots, and the word on the ground in the Maltese social scene, generally point to the best night outs being at bigger, more advertised social events.

Most people will often go to a certain club or bar just because ‘people’ are going (i.e. acquaintances within the same social circle who you would walk past on the street but who, on the other hand, could contribute to a good ‘night out’ out given their ‘attending’ status indicated on Facebook). Of course, there could be other motives that draw crowds to a particular place, such as cheap drinks and more often than not, cheesy radio-friendly music. Not your thing? Then find out…

What do the rest of us do?
If you take a look around, there are loads of different events that contribute to a good, if not better, night out. The popularity of such events isn’t necessarily assessed by the people who attend, but by the level of satisfaction attained by the people that do actually attend.

Let’s face it, Malta is small, so if you look hard enough you’re bound to find something that although unappealing to the general public, is ten times as fun. Here are some clues and tips on what to look for…

First of all, look as far away as possible from Paceville.
If you don’t want to waste your Friday/Saturday night looking for parking or faced by throngs of teenagers binge-drinking on streets, Paceville is definitely not the place for you. A walk through the streets of Valletta, for instance, will uncover quite a number of quaint little spots advertising jazz nights or acoustic gigs.

For the older crowd, the last few years has seen the surge of quite a few wine bars in Malta, often found in Valletta, or in ‘faraway’ old towns; some of the most popular are in Mdina, Balzan, Attard and Birgu, and are venues for a good night whether you’re spending it with a few friends over a few bottles of wine with accompanying cheese and meat platters, or as a quick getaway with your loved one.

For a younger crowd that have still not tucked away their dancing shoes but can’t face the commercialism found in major bars in Paceville, there are plenty of alternatives. Summer months give non-Paceville goers plenty of options, although in winter you may have to look around a bit and be in the know about gigs. However, whether it’s reggae, electronic music, or techno that you like to follow, there are people out there who strive to make it happen. Whether you prefer donning your mum’s hippie clothes for a reggae party to covering your face in face paint for a rave somewhere remote, there’s something out there for everyone.

And what’s more, Maltese people can make good music. There are plenty of live gigs every weekend. Even though the more popular bands are the ones the general public often talks about (Winter Moods, Ira Losco etc), there are other small bands and acts out there that are just as good, often playing in smaller bars setting the backdrop for a more intimate setting.

A good point of reference, as much as we love to hate it, always remains Facebook. Do your research well, add a few influential people, and you’ve a recipe for fun to guide you through the ‘colder’ Maltese nights.

Photo: Therese Debono

Malta has some great places if you want to have a business meeting in an informal setting. Or it may well be that you just don’t have an office, and need to have access to a place where you can meet someone in peace and quiet over a drink and some snacks. These are our personal favourites, but we can always add to this list if there are some hidden gems we have missed.

1. Café Juliani, St Julians. Otherwise known as the lobby cum cafe of the Hotel Juliani. This is anything but your normal hotel lobby – in fact, it’s difficult to actually spot the reception area. Here you get wi-fi, comfortable seating, pastel furnishings and areas for tete a tetes or group huddles in the sofa area hidden at the back of the cafe. The food is pretty decent and you can find parking close by.

2. Café La Rive, 33-34, Tigne Sea Front, Sliema. Just walk past the really busy cafe’s at Ferries and you will get to La Rive. Wi-fi, leather sofas if you want them, and lovely pastas and giant salads. As long as you avoid the very busy lunchtime slots, you’re normally guaranteed peace and quiet. And it stays open late.

3. Prego, 58, South Street, Valletta. If you want to chat over classic ham, egg and mayonnaise sandwiches or pastizzi in 1950s decor, this is the place for you. A throwback to old Valletta, no wi-fi but plenty of atmosphere. More here.

4. Saracino’s, Pjazza tal-Knisja, Attard. Grab a wrap, a baguette or even a pizza in this converted farmhouse in a very charming setting opposite the parish church.

5. Manoel Theatre Café, Old Theatre Street, Valletta. A bit more up-market, if you want to impress your business associates in a cultural setting. And a lovely courtyard to behold.

6. Irrera, Ta’ Xbiex Wharf, Ta’Xbiex. The place to go to if you want Valletta bastions for a view. Food is OK, but it’s really the ambience that sets this one apart, especially on a sunny day. Gets busy round lunchtime.

7. Café Jubilee, 209, The Strand, Gzira. If you walk to the back of the cafe, you get some quiet seating areas. Food is good, the beer is even better and you get wi-fi if you ask for the password from the guys in the bar.

8. The Golden Harvest Bakery, San Gwann Industrial Estate, San Gwann. What it lacks in style it packs in with great value snacks, great cappuccino and fresh bread and confectioneries if you want to take some goodies back home.  Not for everyone, but to be listed under ‘alternative’.

9. German-Maltese Circle, Messina Palace 141, St Christopher Street, Valletta. Grab a soup or whatever’s being served and chat to your heart’s content in the lovely converted arched inner yard.

10. Café Cordina, 244/5 Republic Street, Valletta. The queen of cafés and more. Go inside if it’s cold or want to get closer to the confectionery. Or find an isolated table in the square and put on your shades. Not the most discreet of places. But a great location if you want to impress foreign visitors.

The project Olá Brasil! is proud to present MPB3 in Malta. The band MPB3, comprises three Brazilian musicians who are leading the Brazilian musical scene in Rome at the moment – Evandro dos Reis (the band leader – voice, guitar and cavaquinho); Marcio Boaventura (cavaquinho, banjo and percussions); and Jorge Ronald Faller (percussions). They are playing Surfside, Sliema, Wednesday, 2nd September. In fact, this is their second set here; they played last Wednesday too. So don’t miss them this time round!

The MPB3 (‘MPB trio’) repertoire is primarily ‘Brazilian Popular Music’. They throw themselves into the frenetic rhythms of Roda de Samba and its more modern version Pagode (Zeca Pagodinho, Fundo de quintal, Jorge Aragão); the more famous and classic Samba de Raizes (Noel Rosa, Nelson Cavaquinho, Cartola, Paulinho da Viola); the refined melodies of Bossa Nova and Brazilian classics such as Djavan, Ivan Lins, João Bosco, and many others.

The members of MPB3 have been living and playing in Rome for some years now. Apart from their own personal projects, they meet regularly, every Thursday, under the name of Caciques de Roma, in a bar in upcoming Rome suburb San Lorenzo where they give life to the most famous Roda de Samba in the city. The streets of San Lorenzo are alive to their Samba till the early hours.

MPB Biogs

Evandro dos Reis (photo above), the group’s leader, from Sao Paolo, Brazil, studied singing, classical guitar and cavaquinho. He moved to Italy in 2002 already having recorded two albums there – “Latin Vibe, vol. 1&2” with Giacomo Bondi. In 2003, he collaborated with Jovanotti on stage at Live8 in 2005. In the early summer of 2005, he joined The Orchestra di Piazza Vittorio, one of the most famous ensembles in Rome. He plays guitar, cavaquinho and sings.

Marcio Boaventura, also from Sao Paolo, came to Rome in 2008. He started researching Brazilian Popular Music, mainly the Samba de roda, Pagode, Partido alto and Samba de raizes. Last year, he was one of the initiators of the most famous Roda de Samba in Rome, together with Evandro and Ronald and many other musicians united under the name of Caciques de Roma. He plays cavaquinho, banjo and percussion.

Jorge Ronald Faller completes the trio and is also from Sao Paolo. Before the group, he led a life roving between Brazil, Argentina and Europe. He’s played percussion from early on. Since moving to Rome, he has been teaching percussion. He is also an active member of Scuola de Samba Roma-Rio and has played with the Coro Aquarela do Brasil and many other Brazilian groups in Rome. Today, he is one of the most appreciated Brazilian percussionists in the city.

For more details, and similar upcoming events, contact: Andrew at events@gaiainternational.org

Even if you’re a visitor here and not in a ‘weekday-weekend’ routine, Sundays have a distinctly different feel from the rest of the Maltese week. But whether visitor or resident, Sundays need one of two approaches if they are to be enjoyed to the full; either you plan the day properly in advance, or you laze it away and leave it to its own devices.

Mixing the two approaches rarely works out, especially in summer. Because if you attempt an excursion too late in the day, on the spur of the moment, you can be left without a parking space in sight, or be left looking at packed beaches and fully-booked restaurants. Here are some ideas here to help you make your mind up and get you through yet another hot, summer Sunday in Malta with its madding crowds.

For those who can get up early

Get yourself to Marsaxlook for the fish market. It’s a real explosion of colour with fish of all hues, the luzzus bobbing close by and energetic shoppers. If you’ve got somewhere you can cook, buy something that’s in season and head back for lunch or a barbeque.

Go heritage-hunting. Hagar Qim, Mnjadra and the Inquisitors’ Palace can all be fitted in one morning in the South if you have a car. If you’ve managed to make a reservation, the Hypogeum is a must. Or just head to Valletta or Birgu, and remind yourself how amazing these cities are. Simply walk and take pictures. Don’t forget to keep looking up – some of the best architecture is in gargoyles and stone balconies.

Go sailing. It helps if you’ve a friend with a boat, but if not, Golden Bay has a small one for hire as do most hotel sports lidos. Consider a half- or full-day-trip on a group or tour boat. Some fishermen in Marsaxlokk can be coaxed into accepting guests on a fishing trip.

Go diving. Yes, this does take forward planning but even those of us living in Malta, with the sea outside our door, tend to miss out on this fantastic sport. Make an effort and book a beginner lesson (and on the following Sundays too!). We have several features on this site about the joys of going underwater.

Go to Gozo for the day. Ideal if you have wheels of your own.

Head to the beach. Check out our guide for the best sandy beaches. Or head for a rocky beach, where go can do some snorkelling. Whatever you do, try and get there early and avoid sunbathing between 12.00 and 15.00 hours.

For the less-energetic

Get to the Valletta flea market just by City Gate. It’s unlikely that you will find a true bargain, but it’s amazing what the Maltese will hoard, and what they believe may be of interest to others.

If you’re religiously-inclined, you’re spoilt for churches. Malta arguably has the highest density of churches per sq km in Europe, bar the Vatican. If you go to Valletta, there are services for various denominations and in a number of languages.

Go cafe’ and people watching. Cafe Olé in St Julians to catch up on the gossip, or Cafe Cordina in Valletta to watch the passeggiata and read the Sunday papers. Follow up with your own stroll along the Sliema front or Republic Street, Valletta.

Check out a festa.

Go for lunch somewhere by the water to stay cool. There are cafes on most beaches. Or head towards St Julians or Birgu.

Go for tea and cake in Mdina – always worth visiting the Silent City’s institutions of cake and calories.

Get away from the heat and go to the cinema.

Visit San Anton Gardens, Attard/Balzan borders, and listen to the cicadas. Have an ice-cream at Melita bar and cafe next door.

Find a hammock, grab a siesta and wait for the sun to set.

Photo: Chris Farrugia

I’ve had a sweet tooth all my life. And a lot of the blame has to rest with Fontanella, which has made delicious cakes and other delicacies for as long as I can remember.

Fontanella is an essential pit stop if you’re going anywhere near Mdina or Rabat. There’s something wonderfully comforting about approaching Mdina and seeing Fontanella’s red and white umbrellas billowing on the bastions. In winter, it’s a great place to meet friends and huddle over apple pie and a steaming pot of tea. The rooms inside are typical farmhouse fayre, with rendered, linseed-stained walls. In other seasons, you get some of the best views of the island from your table al fresco on the terrace, on the Mdina north bastions.

The place is always crowded because it gets a lot of business from organised tours, but don’t let this put you off. Tables tend to miraculously become available when you least expect and the wait is normally worth it. You can idle some time in the lovely courtyard or just wait to run up the wooden stairs to the terrace when you see someone leave.

There’s much to keep you amused at Fontanella. The place is lovely, with a profusion of greenery: climbers, ferns, palms and blooming geraniums. And the people-watching is good too: from the odd nun get-together to happy pink tourists drinking Cisk and love-birds enjoying the view over a glass of chilled white.

But you go to Fontanella for the cakes. I’ve probably munched my way through the cake menu over the years, and the great thing is that the quality has remained consistent. My top five favourites:

1. Chocolate cake Dark, fluffy, long lingering taste. Looks dangerous. Fight over the crumbs.

2. Apple cake You actually can see the apple chunks. Could try and convince your better half that it’s part of a calorie-controlled diet. It isn’t.

3. Apricot and walnut cake Crunch your way through the conversation. Then get a second helping.

4. Strawberry cake Is it the strawberries? Or the meringue? The closest you will get to feeling light and cheerful without illegal substances. And more lip-licking involved.

5. Carrot cake Sounds horribly healthy. It isn’t. Useful if you have a young child in tow and want to wonder about intelligent application of vegetables in our food chain.

Fontanella also has a regular menu – I’m told the salmon salad is great. You can also munch a couple of pastizzi and contemplate the finer things in life.

Fontanella does a takeaway service if you want to take a cake home. But nothing beats being there, on a spring evening, watching the colours change on the limestone as the sun goes down on the island below you.

Fontanella Tea Rooms & Beer Garden
1, Bastion St. Mdina.
Tel 21 454264

They call it the shop that never closes. The sign outside says ‘Crystal Palace Tea and Coffee Bar’. This traditional little bar on the outskirts of Rabat, just around the corner from the Roman Villa and a five-minute walk from the entrance to Mdina, has been around for over 100 years. Its name is somewhat more recent – dating back around 60 years when it was a popular meeting place for British troops stationed in Malta. Owner Martin Azzopardi (known in Rabat as ‘Tas-Serkin’ – most families in Rabat have a nickname) took over from his father Ninu around 40 years ago.

Indeed, the Crystal Palace hardly ever closes – you’ll always be able to scoff pastizzi (small, flaky pastry puffs filled with mushy peas or ricotta cheese) aplenty as the palace shuts for a mere two hours on weekday nights; Fridays and weekends, it’s open all night long.

Initially, the bar opened all night to accommodate British soldiers looking for a drink and something to eat round the clock. Once the forces left the islands, the bar still opened all night. Old habits die hard. This time, its nocturnal shift served local farmers bringing their produce to the pitkali market in Rabat in early hours of the morning for weighing and re-sale to local outlets. Once the market moved to Ta’ Qali, there was another reason for Cystal Palace to open all night – this time, party-loving students from nearby discos and all-night taxi drivers became its night-time clientele.

Working at the bar, Martin sees the typical Maltese day go by over the course of 24 hours. As night becomes day, he sees the transition from night party-goers and night-shift workers to the very early risers going to their jobs and the first church-goers of the day.

The freshly baked pastizzi, which Martin himself prepares at his nearby bakery, attract a number of memorable local regulars, an array of Maltese from other towns and passing tourists who are wooed by the tasty smell.

Martin prides himself that his bar is one of the few, truly-specialised pastizzeriji left. He’s not remotely tempted to sell other or more expensive items on his menu, such as pizza, baked rice and timpana (a Bolognaise sauce pasta baked with a pastry topping). Over here, what you get is, quite simply and quite deliciously, traditional pastizzi and bread rolls.

One regular customer, a young man from the other side of Malta, says he comes all the way here for the cheap and tasty food, the tea – in a glass just like his grandmother used to serve it – and good conversation with the lively and friendly characters who congregate in this historical bar and pastizzerija, all hours of the day and night.

Crystal Palace Bar, Triq San-Pawl, Rabat.